Pittsfield High Graduates Told to Unlock Their Power
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"What's standing between you and your diploma?" Pittsfield Mayor James M. Ruberto queried the seniors seated before him in Tanglewood's Shed. "Me!"
So for one last time, teachers shushed their charges and, in some cases, took away the toys of the impromptu celebration until the 201 students could make it across the stage to shake the mayor's hand and walk off with that most important paper signifying they had completed their 12 years of schooling for the city of Pittsfield.
And pick up a school-approved beach ball to be blown up and tossed about when the ritual was finally over.
"It was a rush of excitement and kind of a surreal moment because I really didn't expect it to be as awesome as it was," said Devan Gardner of getting his diploma. The theater enthusiast (he received the Outstanding Drama Student medal for Proteus) plans to continue studying visual and theater arts at Berkshire Community College and beyond.
His goal — to return to Pittsfield High School to imbue that passion in the next generation, "hopefully, working at PHS as a drama teacher and taking Ralph Hammann's job."
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If he does, he'll be following some of the advice that Ruberto offered the class, including to "find work that you're going to be passionate about."
It was advice his own father had given him, along with showing respect to others and making "discipline your best friend."
The mayor congratulated the class for maintaining the school's traditions, a recognition of the many previous classes — now parents of current students — sitting throughout the cavernous Shed (not a few sporting the school's purple and white colors).
It was a theme visited by both interim Principal Anne Beauregard and class speaker Daniel Tweed-Kent.
"Many of you in the audience today graduated from Pittsfield High and have love for the dome," said Tweed-Kent. "It is a place that fostered our learning in the past four years and where students and faculty unite.
"Each of you took a different path through PHS, yet together these unique experiences form the Pittsfield High community."
He recalled the experiences shared by the class of 2008, such as the mercury spill that emptied the school, banners hung from the dome and crickets loosed in the hallways. More importantly, he said, the uniqueness of each member of the class points to a wide range of different pathways, and a force to shape the future.
"As youth, we have the power to shape and to change our local and global community if we only believe our ourselves, our differences, and we stand united," Tweed-Kent said. "The past four years have only begun to tap the vast depth in our wells of potential ... You alone have the power to unlock this potential."
Beauregard said the school had weathered a tough year but the dedication of the staff and the commitment of the students had changed its climate.
"We have always taken pride in our diversity and, although it presents many challenges, it is what makes the PHS community so vibrant."
The school, with its landmark dome rising above East Street, has a solid foundation, both structurally and academically, she said. Its architectural details — its arts and humanities — are what make it unique and what teaches its occupants to appreciate diversity and how the world works.
"Whether we use the written word, the canvas, or the stage, these are the beautiful details that make our high school so special," said Beauregard. "It is much more than just bricks and mortar ... it is the heart of the city and the hope for our future."
Vice Principal Frank K. Cote quoted Jerry Garcia to describe the past four years — "what a long strange trip it's been" — to roars from the graduates and faculty. He named the high honor and honor students; special awards were presented by Superintendent of Schools Katherine Darlington.
The senior chorus sang the high school's alma mater and "For Good" from Broadway's "Wicked." Graduates also joined the band for a final performance of "Allegiance."
After the last student crossed the stage, the graduates stood to switch their tassels and to toss beach balls of all sizes (and few pool sharks and dolphins) into the air.
The best part of being at Pittsfield High was "just being with my friends and seeing them and everybody every day," said Katie Doucette. She'll be leaving all that behind in the fall when she heads to Salem State College to decide what her future will look like.
She'll miss her friends but getting the diploma felt pretty good. "It's finally over. It's time to move on to the next chapter," she said.
